After the demise of the Clash,
vocalist Joe Strummer continue in the
funky-soul-reggae hybrid vein of their late albums on
Earthquake Weather (Epic, 1989), that contains
Gangsterville.
For several years Strummer gave up recording music, and concentrated on
producing and acting.

After a ten years hiatus, Strummer picked up the microphone again
to front the Mescaleros, a group
formed with Anthony Genn, ex PulpElastica,
multi-instrumentalist Martin Slattery and
percussionist Pablo Conte.
Rock Art And The X-Ray Style (Hellcat, 1999) is a collection of
rocking shuffles inspired by caribbean and brazilian music, such as
the pensive ska Tony Adams
and, above all, the catchy samba-techno of Sandpaper Blues.
The anthemic The Road To Rock And Roll (a singalong that echoes
American Pie), the stern pop-metal of Techno D-Day
and the touching commemoration of the Tiennamen Square massacre
Forbidden City display Strummer's knack at setting
social commentary to engaging music.
While the melange of styles is a little disorienting,
The band is successful when it lets the frenetic bongos flow and follows
them with merry feasts of chords, but
far less compelling when they let Strummer
delve in his wiseman/political commentator mood.

The second Mescaleros album,
Global A Go Go (Hellcat, 2001),
is another eclectic excursion through modern pop culture around the world
(Global A Go Go, Cool N Out).

Strummer's last album, Streetcore (Hellcat, 2003), returned to
anthemic and raucous rock'n'roll and reggae, reminiscent of the heydays of
Clash with Coma Girl, Arms Aloft and Burnin' Streets.
In line with his previous solo albums (infected by a world-funk hybrid),
Go Down Moses and All in a Day offered dance music for former
punks, and a few covers reduced the impact of the rockers, but overall
this was probably his best effort since the Clash.